Tynemouth, New Comet (Goeland II)

HER Number:
13794

District:
N Tyneside

Site Name:
Tynemouth, New Comet (Goeland II)

Place:
Tynemouth

Map Sheet:
NZ36NE

Class:
Maritime Craft

Site Type: Broad:
Fishing Vessel

Site Type: Specific:
Drifter

General Period:
Modern

Specific Period:
C20

Form of Evidence:
Wreckage

Description:
Steel, 245-ton, 36.75m long, 6.85m beam, 3.68m draught. New Comet was a steam fishing drifter, registered in Granton. She was built at the Goesland II in 1915 by A.Hall & Co., at Aberdeen. Originally owned by J. Johnson, she was requisitioned by the Admiralty in November 1939 and converted to an armed patrol vessel. Her single propeller was powered by a three-cylinder, triple-expansion steam engine. She had one deck, three watertight bulkheads and a superstructure consisting of a 22.3m quarter-deck and a 5.5m forecastle. In May 1940 HMD New Comet was converted to a mine-sweeper and then converted into a fuel carrier. On 23 November 1940, she had been out on patrol and was heading for the River Tyne when she detonated a German-laid mine, which seriously damaged the vessel. She was brought into the Mouth of the River Tyne and beached, however on the night of the 27-28 February, it is said that she re-floated herself on a big tide and was blown out to see unseen, because of blackout then being badly holed, she sank. It has not yet been confirmed that this wreck is that of the New Comet. However her size and position make it highly likely to be the case. She lies on a hard dirty seabed of sand in a general depth of 18m. She is totally collapsed and well broken up, with her boiler standing upright, close to the rather battered engine and surrounded by mounds of steel plates, ribs and scattered broken machinery. Grid reference conversion made 08.12.2010 with http://gps.ordnancesurvey.co.uk/etrs89geo_natgrid.asp with Lat/Long referenced as N 55 01 20 W 01 23 16 Owner: Royal Navy Built: 1915 Builder: A Hall & Co. Ltd. Where Built: Aberdeen Propulsion: Screw driven, 3 cylinder triple expansion engine HP: 91 Boilers: 1 Construction: 1 deck; 3 bulkheads; quarter deck 73ft; forecastle 18ft

Easting:
3924

Northing:
6991

Grid Reference:
NZ39246991

Lats/Lons:

Sources:
Young, R. (2001) Comprehensive guide to Shipwrecks of the North East Coast (The): Volume Two, Tempus, Gloucestershire. p. 160, Ian T. Spokes Wreck Database, Inga Project, National Monuments Record (1369435); Richard and Bridget Larn 1997 Shipwreck index of the British Isles, volume 3. The east coast of England : Essex, Suffolk, Norfolk, Lincolnshire, Yorkshire, County Durham, Northumberland Section 6, County Durham; 1989 Lloyd's war losses: the Second World War 3 September-14 August 1945, Volumes I and II; Page(s)160; J J Colledge 1989 Ships of the Royal Navy, volume 2: navy-built trawlers, drifters, tugs and requisitioned ships from the fifteenth century to the present Page(s)160